


I'll Always Be There

by BRUISEKINK



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: 3 Years After The Events of Season 1, Also I Suck At Summaries Lmaooo, Alternate Universe - Future, But Soren Is There To Comfort Him, Callum Has Nightmares, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Everyone Is 3 Years Older, I Can't Believe I Wrote This In One Sitting Oh Wow, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Minor Angst, Minor Character Death, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Soren is 21, callum is 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-08-17 10:25:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16514573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BRUISEKINK/pseuds/BRUISEKINK
Summary: 3 years have passed since Callum-now denominated King- witnessed the assassination of his Step-Father, former King Harrow, and almost night after night ever since that day he's been reliving that gruesome image in his dreams.Just like almost every other night Callum awakes to his own screams and made a mess, only that this time he won't have to deal with it on his own. Unknowingly he's found a solution to the rest of his problems and worries as well.





	I'll Always Be There

**Author's Note:**

> ☠ what if things had gone a different way than they originally did...? also, this needs some polishing, so positive criticism is highly accepted! that's why it wasn't a good idea to write this at 2 am... ok i'll shut up now and let you all read. enjoy!

Tonight. _Tonight was the night where everything'd change and there was nothing Callum could do, no matter his efforts to prevent it...- Tonight was the night the King would finally pay due to his own mistakes of the past. Everyone guarding King Harrow's castle knew it as much as they tried to deny what would happen. Even Callum, who still attempted to see his Step-Father desperatley amidst to deliver a solution that he knew would put an end to the war between humans and elves, and managing himself past all the complications blocking his way from the King's bedroom, Callum well done suceeded, greeted by a bewildered and rather surprised expression on King Harrow's face.._

_He tried questioning as to why in Heaven's name was his Step-Son still even laying a foot inside the castle and not far away at the Winter Lodge where his brother and him were supposed to reside safely and avoid seeing or meeting his own faith- a poor distraction to Callum-but the young Prince spewered out what'd been discovered about the Dragon Prince not being destroyed and how it could stop his assassination if they showed it to the shadow moon elves that were just about bound to appear any minute seeking justice at the price of the King's and Prince Ezran's blood. Seemingly convinced and more than relieved King Harrow accepted to go forward with Callum's plan._

_Even if Callum saw something of doubt in his eyes from Harrow's balcony he desperately signaled for Rayla to follow through with their plan by bringing the egg up to them so they'd deliver it to the elves by the time they'd get there, but it was then and there when everything changed for the worse. Before either of them could even blink, arrows were suddenly shot from all directions into the head's of every guard that was keeping watch , fear immobilizing Callum as their bodies hit the floor with a chilling clatter of their armour, blood starting to ooze from their shot wounds and form a small pool of crimson dark liquid around their heads_.

_Confused and scared, all Callum managed to do in that split moment was to look back to see Harrow running towards him in a desperate manner, his arms stretched out to push him to the floor. Landing on his back harshly he was followed by the King himself only that there was something wrong with him- there was blood, it was trickling down his face all the way to stain his armour, a few drops even splattered o to Callum's face for when he looked up to see where the source for the crimson liquid was coming from he was met with nothing but the horrified expression of his father, his mouth agape attempting to breath, and the cringeworthy chokes and forceful coughs whilst blood spilled from there as well when he seemed to buck forward, as if something had been imapled in his back. But... why?_

_With eyes as wide as dinner plates and tears prickling at their corners the Prince'd managed to find said source. As he feared, the King had been struck through the head and back with multiple arrow's, and they weren't any ordinary arrow's since they'd been strong enough to penetrate solid steel, which could only mean it was them. The elves were already here. Callum distresfully screamed out for his step-father as he fell to his side, a hoarse fit of cough's racking his body, in result drawing out more blood from his mouth, and in that moment the Prince never felt more scared or helpless in his entire life. He sobbed out for help yet no one would be coming since they were already too occupied fending off the invasors, the King's head rested in his lap and his clammy hands pressed to the one of the many wounds like if it were to help, and he knew it was no use but he couldn't do anything else, yet he'd try._

_"I'm going to get you help, alright? I won't take long and you'll be just fine," He mustered out shakily, the fear and concern in his tone evident just like in his shaking body, and just as he was about to pull himself up, a clammy hand reached up to clasp his shoulderCallum felt his grasp was weak and his touch cold. He knew he was slipping away, and he took this as a way of Harrow saying for him to stay, that whatever those arrow's were composed of had injured him badly enough for him to not be cured. Speaking that his step-father was just about in his final moments of life, the least he could to was to comply and stand by._

_His_ _green eyes were too clouded by the big dense tears to be able to see clearly as one after another rolled down his cheeks dripping on to the King's forehead, which was seeming to lose color quickly just like the rest of his face indicating that life was being drained out of him, and Callum was only there to helplessly watch it happen as he desperately cied out in question as what he was supposed to do, his bloody digits pressing to the cold cheek of the man he'd come to known as his father, earning nothing but a surpressed cough and an attempt of a sentence as an answer._

_The King was in great pain, and so was he for he could only watch him suffer till the very last moment when he'd stop breathing. The pain that had once formed in his chest swelled to a much inmmenser extent to the point he could no longer control his breathing nor his cries as well as being too overwhelmed. Everything just happened so fast he couldn't react in time, and that was when it hit him._

_"I'm sorry... this is all my fault! If I hadn't just stood there like an idiot you wouldn't be like this- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..." Callum sobbed in to his armoured chest._

_"N... No. Callum. Listen to me, Son. None of this... is your fault, this- this was bound to happen, thing's were meant to be this way. Because **I** was meant to pay for my mistakes... and so, I have..." the King managed to rasp out, voice hoarse and meek._

_Surprised, the young boy directed his puffy-red, glistening eyes up at the man, uncredible as to what he'd said. He very well knew that HE was the one to blame, and that NONE of this would've happened if it weren't for him freezing up. Callum knew that HE was supposed to be the one who'd gotten shot, the one that was supposed to be dying on the floor right now. Not him._

_"What? No! This is all-."_

_"Just- promise me... promise me you'll do right by this kingdom- as King. And most importantly... promise me you'll do right by your own, that you won't commit the same errors that I did. That you'll do everything I could not... please, Callum, promise me that,"_

_Callum nodded in response._

_"I do, I promise you. I swear I will."_

_And the last thing Callum remember's was the faint smile his father displayed, the fluttering of his eyes shut, and Soren barging through the bedroom door with the remaining guards._

 ------

Pained screams racked the young King's body who out of impulse flung himself to sit staright in his bed; expecting to see that gruesome image of his step-father dead in his lap, instead his eyesight was welcomed with nothing but the cold dark in his empty room and the stray ray of moonlight that dimly shone through the curtains leading to the balcony, hitting him faintly across his face drenched in cold-sweat. His breathing was uneven and out of control as his gaze frantically darted around the dark room, still searching for any signs of the King's dead image, his chest rising up and down at an alarming rate. But no.

Like every other night that he found himself in this siuation, he was alone. It didn't help that his new bedroom closely resembled King Harrow's, either. Sometimes Callum actually thought he was, indeed, in his step-father's bedroom. Suddenly a sharp pain piercing through his forehead and the sense of bile stinging at his throat obliged Callum to clasp both hands over his mouth and bend over in discomfort whilst choking out a sob at the same time, tired glistening eyes screwing shut as he wished for everything to just go away, soon enough his body being racked with harsh and loud sobs. He felt like if he were sea-sick. But ten times worse. The other nights when he'd awake to his repetitive nightmares he recalled not feeling as sick as he did at the moment; surely he was ghost-pale.

Hoarse sobs slipped from Callum's mouth, echoing through out the dead silence of the room, his head hung low between his clammy hands and his shoulders shaking violently with every cry he let out. Three years. It's been three years. And he still can't overcome dreaming of those haunting memories. That's because, deep down, he still blames himself for the King's death and he can't let go of the fact that he's guilty.

And no matter how much he's tried to move past that or how much everyone around him always try to coax him into believing that 'it wasn't his fault' and that he should try 'letting go of what happened'. Callum just couldn't. Because it _was_ his fault. People just don't want to guilt trip him.

Sometimes, he didn't need to be asleep to see those harrowing memories flash in his mind.

"This is all my fault, this is all my fault..." he lowly repeated with a whimper.

A faint pattering of footsteps quickly approaching the bedroom resonated just outside, and in a split second the double doors of his bedroom were forced open with brute force as if the person barging through were desperate to get in as quick as possible, the flickering light sourced from the torches and candle's placed just outside the hallway walls poured in and overpowered the dark.

In the doorway stood a silouhette, the flickering light iluminating nothing but it's outer frame, hinting off to be clad in full armour. It apparented to be one of the guards.

With his sobbing brought to a sudden halt, he jumped back in to the warm oversized pillows behind him, eyes red as could be-not to mention his red, runny nose, too-, strands of hair sticking out in abnormal ways and merely covering his eyes, an exremely tear stained face and not to mention drenched in 'nightmare sweats' adding up to his already exasperated face to that complex when you were ill... yeah. He definitely was a sight to see, and no less to the man he'd least wanted and expected to face in this circumstance above all.

 "King Callum- what's wrong? What has happened?"

His voice was definitely a lot more mature and deep than he originally remembered it to be, also lined with clear concern and something else of that of being insinuative, like if he were expecting to come across intruders with the intention of hurting the King which he ws ready to fight off. Even kill if neccesary. It wasn't just anyone.

Sword pointed out , there Soren stood in a fighting stance, his icy blue eyes quick to scan the room for any sign of danger. Almost confused when he realized there was no threat, he let his guard down, returning his sharp sword to it's respectful sheathe with a sliver of the sword's edge sliding against the sheathe, and instead came across the sight of a discomforted looking brunette, his expression contorting into more than confused and concerned.

If there were no intruders, than what was the problem?

Callum's now shorter brown-locks were glued to his sweat-coated forehead and barely brushing above his furrowed eyebrows, usually styled upwards in a less loose and messy manner. His chest still heaved whilst his shoulders relaxed, face quick to fall downwards before Soren could catch a glimpse.

"I... nothing. I just happened to have a bad dream, is all... Sorry for bothering you so late, Soren." Callum's voice was hoarse, groggy and meek, even. Yet to his own ears he could tell it had changed. Just like the Knight standing before him, his voice'd grown deeper.

"With all due respect, that sounded more than a bad dream to me," 

Callum's silence pushed the blonde's sense of duty further, knowing it was his job to check on him and assure his well being. Not as a servant of Katolis, but as someone who'd known him ever since they were kids. Soren inched closer to the foot of his bed, and to this, Callum flinched back into the wood carven headboard adorning his giant bed, not even bothering to hide his face anymore when he knew Soren was aproximately close enough to make out his tear stained face with nothing but the moonlight displaying over his features.

"Are you actually alright, my King?" It was still weird for the brunette to be hearing the man who'd tease him nonstop to be adressing him in a such a respectful way, when he used to never treat him the way he did now. And it was those words that made him crumble. 

_'Are you actually alright, my King?'_

Those words echoed through out his mind, his chest tightening up because he knew for a fact that no, he wasn't  _alright._ A shaky breath escaped his lips.

"I- I am... I'm... I'm alright, I..." His voice trembled, and suddenly a humid trail started to make it's way from his eyes down his cheeks , the back of his hand quick to swipe away at the area; but it was to no avail since it only kept falling.  _No, he can't possibly see me like this._  A few years back everyone would have seen the young king as weak. So he couldn't be seen in this state just now and no less by Soren above everyone else. 

"I'm sorry... just- please. Let me be," Callum hid in the palm of his hand, containing the urge to break down just like he had a few moments ago. But he wasn't that strong enough to wait for Soren to leave, so sure enough; one after another tears streamed down on to both of his hands, this time attempting to stop them with both.

The blonde knight was prepared for any type of situation in terms of battle, but no training could have prepared him for consoling the king.

There Soren stood unsure as to what he was supposed to do. Was he supposed to just leave him be? Or maybe wake up Claudia and have her handle the situation? Because Soren knew he would be no good at solving it. Yet it was his duty to try. He even felt that there was something probably beyond duty to assure Callum was okay. He just couldn't place a finger on it.

Slowly sitting down by his legs, Soren hesitantly reached out to brush the younger male's shoulder, expecting to be pushed away.

"Callum," The tone implied was soft. Concerned, even. He'd left aside the formality as he was approaching him as a friend, not as the General of the royal Crown Guard.

Silence.

"Callum, what's wrong?"

Yet again, silence.

"Hey, look at me," His other free hand gently pryed away one of Callum's hand from covering his face, slightly smaller in comparison to his own. It was wet with tears but Soren didn't mind.

The young king's puffy, tear stained face was revealed. His emerald eyes glistened with pain, eyebrows closely knit together, and a quivering pout was displayed for Soren to frown upon on. He was still confused as to why Callum was like this, but his suspicions were following the possible fact that it had to do with the 'nightmare' he'd mentioned just a moment ago. And that's when the young male burst out.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry- this is all my fault... I'm the one who should be dead, not him! It was because of  _me_ that Dad got killed, he took my place and I just-" Callum choked, cracking up with another sob as for the lump in his throat prevented him from going on. He could no longer hide anymore. But it was about time he'd opened up to someone about the topic.

His suspicions were correct.

"Woah, Callum- take it easy. Just...  _breathe,_ okay? None of this is your f-"

"Except it is my fault, Soren! Everyone knows I'm guilty for his death-  _I_   was the one who was supposed to have gotten shot, not  _him_ _! Why_  can't any of you still accept that and stop pretending like it wasn't my fault when it was! I don't need  _any_ of you pitying me with your lies anymore, I've had enough!" 

Taken aback, Soren sat there, eyes wide. He couldn't've imagined he was going through this.

Shaking, Callum choked out lowly. "He... he didn't deserve to die, and now I can't help but to relive that night almost every day... sometimes, I can't even sleep. I'm too scared to, because it scares me that if I close my eyes, I'll see him," With his head hung low, he avoided all eye contact, too guilt ridden to be able to face up. It was a weight on Callum's shoulders that he couldn't just get rid of.

A soft sigh made it's way from Soren's lips, who was rather over taken by such sudden information. He could relate in a way, as for his father's life was taken with his own hands. Only that his intentions were true. Callum's weren't. After being opened up to the truth, Soren knew he could no longer side with his father, and when the situation of protecting the Prince's from Viren came, Soren knew he needed to be stopped.

So with a sword plummeled in to his throat, he was. And it nearly cost Soren's life.

At the begginning he was over come with guilt, but with time he'd learned to let it go as it was something that needed to be done. However Callum's situation differed, but he could still understand him, though.

"Look, Callum... I know it wasn't your fault, because there's a difference in what happened to you, to what happened to me. To what  _I had to do._ My father is dead because I  _had_ to killhim, because he was a bad man; Ezran and you know that. And as to what happened to you, you couldn't've prevented it. It was an accident, Callum. Your father was a good man and what he did was because he wanted you to live... because he knew you would change things and make everything right. And you have. If it weren't for your father, we wouldn't be where we are now, so even if it's hard, you need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. It wasn't your fault," Soren emphasized, leaning down to his eyesight to make sure Callum knew he meant it, hiz gaze intent yet soft towards him.

Sniffling, Callum gained the confidence to meet Soren's gaze. "Do you really mean it?" He raspily asked, even though in his chest he still slightly regarded those words.

Soren inched closer, wiping his humid cheek with his thumb. "I know it." 

Callum was overwhelmed. It'd felt like a weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders, like if everything was alright again even if it was just for a moment. 

His gaze faltered to the side for a moment in doubt for what he was about to do. So without giving it much thought, the smaller male threw his arms around the knight's neck, pulling him down to his height for an embrace, and although being surprised by the sudden motion he wrapped his arms around Callum's smaller frame, his hands settling in the middle of his back. Even though he'd grown quite a lot, Soren noticed he was still a bit scrawny in comparison to himself. His body felt frail, if it made sense.

Soren also took notice of something else; he was affection-deprived. Holding on to somebody like this was something he hadn't done ever since his mother left and his father became rather sour and non-loving because of this, which if his memory wasn't failing him, happened when he was about eleven or twelve years old. So this encounter gave him lost-found feelings.

"Thank you, Soren." Callum spoke in to the crook of his neck, and maybe it was nothing, but something sparked up inside of his chest. Soren gave him a light squeeze before letting go and flashing a warm smile Callum barely managed to make out in the dark.

"Any time,"

Callum than felt a weight shift off the bed and heard Soren say,"You should get some rest now, Callum." The problem was that he wasn't sure if he could sleep. Sure, he felt better about the matter already, but still, he feared he'd have the same old nightmare all over again, and he dreaded that. So, as childish as it might've been and sounded, the young king blindly reached out to stop him from leaving, grabbing on to what seemed his forearm. 

"Soren... could you possibly... stay? I know it's childish for someone my age- and if it bothers you you don't have to, I just... I don't want to be alone," It came out in a meek manner.

The blonde perked up upon hearing this. It was a rather unusual and sudden request, but if it meant Callum feeling better than he would. Besides, he didn't acknowledge it but unconciously a part of him wanted to be close to him.

"Of course." 

Much to his surprise, he'd accepted. Mouth agape Callum was about to question if he was sure, but decided he'd already drawn too much from Soren so he'd just leave it at that. He couldn't possibly dare bother him any further, and it were as if he'd read his mind.

"Callum," Soren spoke out, "Just so you know, I have no problem in staying, alright?" 

"Alright..." 

The sound of straps being undone and steel armour being slid off were the only thing heard in the dead silence of the room, making Callum absentmindedly turned away even though it was dark and he couldn't see a thing. He rather scooted to the other side of the bed, letting himself in under the covers just as Soren had finished getting rid of his last armour piece. Clad in just the undershirt he wore beneath his armour and the usual black pants he always sported, he shifted on to the bed, and Callum felt him lay considerably close to his spot.

It was than that the brunette decided to take a leap of faith; he shifted closer towards the other, turning on to his side to face him, realizing that they'd wound up face to face. A distance of space he hadn't considered and was regretting. Instead of hearing a sort of complaint, there was a low rumble of laughter coming from across him.

"If you wanted a hug, you could've just said so," Soren's warm breath tickled against his forehead, one limb stretching over his smaller frame to snuggle him up against his chest and the other slipped under his head to act as a pillow. Callum had always acknowledged Soren as muscular, but only untill now did he actually realize how lean he was, being wrapped in his muscles and all.

Callum only smiled meekly against his chest, indulging in the warmth and the husky scent radiating from Soren. It was foreign to him to be so intimate with someone like this, specially if that someone was Soren. But he honestly couldn't give any importance to that right now. He actually longed for an interaction like this.

After a lapse of silence, Callum broke it.

"Soren...?" The older male had been drawn out of falling asleep.

"Hm?"

"Thank you, again. For all of this." Callum softly spoke out. And there was that weird feeling in his chest again. Coincidentally, Soren had just felt it too.

"It's nothing. I'll always be there for you, you know that, right? Always." Callum nodded.

"The same goes for you, even though you probably won't need much of me,"

"Don't say that. From now on I know who I can rely on."

Callum huffed in amusement. "We'll see about that." He only chuckled quietly in response. Just as they were, the pair slowly drifted off in to slumber. And that night, Callum had no issue or mishap with his sleep.

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
